Hillel recently participated in the [Raingutter Regatta](http://blog.dimbert.net/photos/album/raingutter-regatta/). In case you don’t know, the RR is a Cub Scout competition. Each scout purchases an official kit and, with it, constructs a boat according to strict specifications. They decorate it, then bring it to a pack meeting where, in round-robin format, a set of races is held wherein the scouts move their boats along a raingutter full of water, using only their breath.

It’s similar to the Pinewood Derby, which we’ll be having next year.

Hillel did well in the competition, winning three of his five races. Unfortunately, he did not win enough to earn a top-three position, so he came home ribbonless. Of course, the point of the entire thing is not to win, but to learn about boats, competition and the value of doing something on your own. I didn’t help Hillel with his boat at all, which makes me even prouder of the success he enjoyed.

Take a look at this picture. The boy on the right, Jacob, has just lost in his first race (Hillel’s first win) and his immediate reaction is to reach out and shake Hillel’s hand, congratulating him. That’s awesome. Hillel didn’t immediately react the same way when he first felt the sting of defeat two races later, but I was able to remind him of how Jacob had treated him, and he followed suit with a congratulatory handshake of his own.

*That’s* the point of the whole thing. To learn about trying, winning and losing.